The public isn’t impressed: If you ask people what AI in news will do for them, the answer is mostly “make it worse.” High assumed use, low expected benefit. News media rank below search engines and social media on public AI optimism. One reason: journalists are unusually good at publicizing their own AI screw-ups. (Rasmus Kleis Nielsen)
- This is Rasmus' closing speech at NAMS26.
- Survey research across multiple countries finds that people assume news media use AI extensively, ranking third after search engines and social media, but a plurality expect that use to make their experience worse.
- News media sit in an awkward quadrant: high assumed use, low expected benefit, faring worse in public opinion than even social media companies when it comes to AI optimism.
- One plausible explanation is structural: journalists are unusually willing to publicize their own AI failures, while tech companies stay relentlessly upbeat and leave scrutiny to others.
